Keystone XL pipeline public meeting set

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Public can comment on pipeline

Obama has not made decision

The U.S. State Department says it will hold a public meeting on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project on April 18 in Grand Island, Nebraska.

President Barack Obama has faced criticism from Republicans who say he's dragging his feet in approving the controversial pipeline, which would transport oil from Canada to Texas.

In 2012, Obama delayed action on the pipeline until after the election. He's expected to make a final decision sometime this summer. A recent State Department report found that the project would not adversely impact the environment.

The State Department, in its report released March 1, stopped short of saying whether the pipeline should be approved.

If the company behind the pipeline, TransCanada, follows all the rules, its "construction and normal operation" of the pipeline should pose no major risks, the State Department said in its draft environmental impact statement. That statement is open for a public comment period ending mid-April.

The project was delayed last year because of concerns about how it would affect Nebraska's sensitive Sand Hills region.